Huffington Post writer asks Prince Charles to fight Romania gold mine

In an open letter to Prince Charles, Huffington Post journalist Rupert Wolfe-Murray requests royal support to prevent new mining in the Rosia Montana region of Transylvania, Romania.

In the letter, Wolfe-Murray surveys the project's environmental risks, and appeals to Charles' appreciation of Transylvania's ecosystem, using a 1998 quote from the prince in which he claimed to be "totally overwhelmed by its unique beauty and its extraordinarily rich heritage."

Until last week, when thousands of Romanians took to the streets and to social media in protest, Canadian company Gabriel Resources had been on track to mine for gold and silver in Rosia Montana. The swell of opposition grew out of claims that three of the region's sixteen villages would be destroyed and that use of cyanide in the extraction would endanger locals.